Ruth Knibbe: Using a Scanning Electron Microscope

Ruth Knibbe: Using a Scanning Electron Microscope

Materials engineer Dr Ruth Knibbe uses a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to image her own samples and samples for other scientists. Unlike a light microscope, an SEM uses a focused beam of electrons to produce images from the top surface of a sample. “So you don’t get lots of information from the bulk of your sample, it’s mostly topography that you’re getting information from,” says Knibbe, from Victoria University of Wellington. Listen to Ruth’s full interview with Radio New Zealand’s Our Changing World.